A water bottle. 

Having a water bottle with while you are going to class or just relaxing in your room is going to make a huge difference. Most places on campus have water fountains for you to refill your water bottle.

Instead of buying plastic water bottles, just find a reusable one that you like and fill that up when you need to during the day. After finishing moving in last year my water bottle was one of the first things I reached for.

A coffee maker.

If you drink coffee daily or only during the nights where you have to study late or even only during finals, bring a coffee maker with you to college. It can be an actual coffee maker complete with a coffee pot, a French press set up, or a Keurig.

You are going to want coffee more than you think you will and having a coffee maker will help you save money and time.

Extra lighting

During the first couple of months, you can get by using the light on your desk and keeping the window open when you do not want to turn the light on in the dorm room.

The fluorescent lighting is going to get on your nerves faster than you think and you're not going to want to have it on all the time. Extra lighting is going to turn from a want to a need very fast.

Luckily, extra lighting is as easy as finding some string lights to hang up or getting a desk or floor lamp!

Bring games or a console.

I cannot tell you how many nights ended playing Mario Kart, Cards Against Humanity, or even playing board games like Clue and Life.

The options here are endless, you can bring board games or card games or even video games. If you do bring a console with you just be sure that you bring everything you need for it and the games you think you'll play the most.

Don't forget about extra seating!

Okay, so I know seeing how many chairs and seats you can fit in a dorm room is not the main goal but, having extra seating for when you have friends or family over is going to be something you are happy to have.

This can be as simple as buying a storage ottoman so that it's multi-purpose or having a chair you can fold up and store when you aren't using it.